28 Nov 2011 FLCAJ

he Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino will once again play host to the fourth annual Florida Communities of Excellence Conference and Awards Ceremony. The event, scheduled for March 30, 2012, includes the Managers of Excellence Recognition Luncheon, educational sessions, a gala reception, and the Awards Ceremony. The event is free to board members, managers, and residents of Florida’s community associa-tions and is underwritten through the generosity of corporate sponsors. The

T

The 2012 Florida Communities of Excellence AwardsNominations Are Open!

FLCAJ Nov 2011 29

Florida-Friendly Landscaping™—Environmentally sound land- scape, wetland, preserve, and lake management policies, including Florida-Friendly Landscaping.

Energy and Water Conservation (Non-Landscaping)—Energy and water management and conservation programs.

Safety and Security (Presented by Envera Systems)—Programs to protect and ensure the safety of residents and property within the community.

Best Website—Promoting positive community relations through effective communications.

Civic Volunteerism and Advocacy—Supporting local and regional non-profit and charitable causes.

Family-Friendly Programs and Initiatives—Promoting family participation and well-being.

Trendsetter Awards (Presented by Associa)—Innovation in any area not covered in the existing categories. The sponsors of the awards program are businesses that are dedi-cated to the needs of residents of condominiums and homeowner associations. The 2012 sponsors include:

Diamond-Level: Associa, BB&T Association Services, The Continental Group, and Envera Systems

Gold-Level: Association Financial Services and Orion ContractingSilver-Level: Atlantic/Pacific Management, Aquatic Systems,

BankUnited, The BCH Group, Campbell Property Management, Condominium Concepts Management, Corporate Insurance Advisors, Empire Roofing, First Southern Bank, KW Property Management & Consulting, and Nord Enterprises Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ is a Trademark of the University of Florida Submissions for the 2012 Awards will be accepted between Sep-tember 19, 2011 and 12 Midnight (ET), January 15, 2012 with judging in late January. There is no entry fee for participating in the Awards and the entire process is completed online at www.communitiesofexcellence.net. Small communities and large communities are judged separately and there is no limit on the number of categories in which a community can compete. Winners will be announced at the Annual Florida Communities of Excellence Conference and Awards Ceremony, a free event that includes luncheon, educational sessions, and a gala reception and awards ceremony. The 2012 Conference and Awards Ceremony will be held, Friday, March 30, 2012 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Conference Center in Hollywood. Judging of submissions is conducted by independent professionals, includ-ing executives in regional and state government departments and agencies, at non-profit organizations, and at trade and professional associations.

Awards are now open for nomi-nations at www.communitiesofexcellence.net. The awards have proved their worth in promoting com-munity pride, participation, and quality of operations. They have also been credited with enhancing property val-ues and increasing rentals. The 2012 awards will offer a new twist. Communities that have made the journey from distress to revitalization will be honored with a new cate-gory, “The Comeback Kid.” The new award will recognize communities whose boards and managers—working together with industry vendors—have restored com-munity vitality following emergencies such as fires or hurricanes or decline resulting from other causes such as economic stress. “The Comeback Kid” category is presented by 2012 Communities of Excel-lence Awards sponsor BB&T Association Services. The 2012 categories also include:

Financial Innovation (Pre- sented by The Continental Group)—Policies and proce- dures to ease the impact of financial burdens during challenging economic times.

Disaster Preparedness— Protecting lives and property, as well as for community restoration in the aftermath of an emergency.

30 Nov 2011 FLCAJ

Judges for the 2012 awards include:Kyle Abney, Principal, Abney & Abney Green Solutions

Kyle Abney is a leading advocate for green building and sustain-ability initiatives. A LEED® Accredited Professional (AP), with both Building Design and Construction and Homes specializations, he is a state licensed general contractor and heads a sustainable development consulting firm in Palm City.

Lynn Barber, Florida-Friendly Landscaping ™ Program, University of Florida/Hillsborough County Extension Service Lynn Barber is a Florida-Friendly Landscaping Agent, responsible for Environmental Horticulture education in Hillsborough County. She co-authored “Hassle Free Houseplants,” a presentation that received the University of Florida 2005 Educational Materials Preparation Award, and regularly writes for the Florida Community Association Journal.

Mark R. Benson, Publisher, Community Association Ink Mark Benson retired in 2007 after more than three decades owning a Community Association Management firm in Florida. He publishes Community Association Ink, an e-mail newsletter with more than 3,000 subscribers and founded an Internet discussion group with more than 2,000 followers and contributors.

Mary Blakeney, Assistant Operations Manager, Palm Beach County Division of Emergency Management As Assistant Operations Manager for Palm Beach County Division of Emergency Management, Mary Blakeney serves as the liaison with responders, civic leaders, county officials, municipal partners, and the general public. She serves as the Florida Emergency Preparedness Association (FEPA) Secretary and is Chair of the Palm Beach County Disaster Recovery Coalition.

William Booher, External Affairs Director, Florida Division of Emergency Management William Booher oversees public relations, external marketing, external strategic partnerships, and community advocacy for The Florida Division of Emergency Management. He administered federal disaster recovery funds as part of the State’s Office of Community Development-Disaster Recovery Unit Hazard Mitigation Grant Program with The Shaw Group in Louisiana.

Carmen Caldwell, Executive Director, Citizens’ Crime Watch of Miami-Dade County Carmen Caldwell brings more than 30 years of experience in crime prevention to her position as Executive Director of Citizens’ Crime Watch of Miami-Dade County. A former City of Hialeah Councilwoman and Crime Prevention Coordinator for the city’s police department, she is a pio-neer in implementing Neighborhood Watch in Hispanic communities.

Tim Center, Vice Presi- dent, Sustainability Initiatives, Collins Center for Public Policy A Florida native, Tim Center is an attorney and has worked in the Florida Legis-lature, Chamber of Commerce, and the Home Builders Associa-tion. In his role at the Collins Center—a non-partisan, inde-pendent think-tank based in Miami—he is the Director of Sustainable Florida.

Krista Gonzalez, Chair-person, Society of Public and Life Safety Educators/Florida Fire Chiefs Association Krista Gonzalez is Chairper-son of the Society of Public and Life Safety Educators of the Florida Fire Chief’s Associa-tion, Florida’s leading manage-ment education organization for fire and emergency services professionals. She has been a full-time Risk Reduction Specialist for the Gainesville, Florida Fire Rescue since 2006.

Beth Hagan, Project Manager, Community Association Officers Forum Beth Hagan has been a pio-neer in developing management-related community association education and training pro-grams in the state, targeting both professional managers and condominium and HOA board members. She serves as Project Manager and Course Author for the Community Associa-tion Officers Forum, which

FLCAJ Nov 2011 31

provides online and on-site management train-ing for board members through Edison State College, Office of Contin-uing Education, Ft. Myers.

Deirdre Irwin, Florida Water Star Coordinator, St. Johns River Water Management District Deirdre Irwin joined the St. Johns River Water Management District in 1989 and has had experi-ence with surface water regulatory programs, water resource education programs, and certification program development and implementation. As Admin-istrator for Florida Water Star, she coordinates the water efficiency certification program for new and existing residential and commercial buildings in 18 counties in NE Florida.

Joseph Kollin, Former Community Association Columnist, South Florida Sun-Sentinel Working for the Fort Lauderdale-based Sun-Sentinel, Joseph Kollin in 1986 became the first jour-nalist in Florida to regularly cover condominium and homeowner association issues and people. He con-tinued writing columns and stories about commu-nity associations until retiring in 2008.

Dwight A. McDonald, Chairman, Professional Standards and Ethics Committee, Greater Tampa Association of Realtors

Dwight McDonald is Founder and President of a Tampa real estate and property management agency and currently serves as Chairman of the Professional Standards and Ethics Committee of the Greater Tampa Association of Realtors. He is President of Sterling Ranch Homeowners Master Association, a 793-unit HOA in Hills-borough County.

32 Nov 2011 FLCAJ

Charles E. Milsted, Associate State Director, AARP Charles Milsted is the Associate State Director for AARP in Florida and coordinates legislative initiatives that include affordable housing, property tax, state budget, and insurance issues. He is currently a member of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration Advisory Council, the Florida Housing Study Commission, and the Capital Area Coalition on Aging.

Terry McMurry, Editor, Florida Community Association Journal magazine Terry McMurry is the Editor of Florida Community Association Journal, the oldest and most trusted periodical serving the commu-nity association industry in Florida.

Dr. Walter Moore, H. Wayne Huizenga School, Nova South- eastern University Dr. Walter Moore is Director and Faculty Chairperson of the Accounting and Taxation departments, at the H. Wayne Huizenga School, Nova Southeastern University. A CPA with experience in public, private, and governmental accounting, he has taught accounting for more than 20 years at universities in Ohio, Michigan, Nebraska, Illinois, and Florida, where he amassed a variety of accomplishments.

Brian Niemann, Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Program, University of Florida Brian Niemann is Builder and Developer Coordinator for the Florida-Friendly Landscaping (FFL) program, responsible for outreach to Florida

communities to promote adoption of environmentally sound landscape practices.

Kevin Noonan, Director of Conservation and Renewables, Orlando Utilities Commission Kevin Noonan is the Director of Conservation and Renewables for the Orlando Utility Commission (OUC), the municipal electric and water utility serving Orlando, St. Cloud, and parts of unincor-porated Orange and Osceola counties. In that capacity, he oversees the personnel, busi-ness operations, and customer programs that bring energy and water savings, as well as renewable energy programs, to all of OUC’s 250,000 customers.

David Reilly, Municipal Arborist, City of Tampa, Parks and Recreation

FLCAJ Nov 2011 33

David Reilly is a Munici-pal Arborist for the Tampa Parks and Recreation De-partment where he reviews and evaluates mature trees for construction, pruning and removal. He is a Past President of the Florida Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and has served on the chapter’s Board of Directors for seven years.

Kevin Schleith, Research Analyst, Florida Solar Energy Center Kevin Schleith is a Re-search Analyst involved with high performance buildings research with The Building America Industrial-ized Housing Partnership (BAIHP), an initiative led by the Florida Solar Energy Center, a research institute of the University of Central Florida.

Wendy Spencer, CEO, Volunteer Florida Wendy M. Spencer is Chief Executive Officer of the Governor’s Com-mission on Volunteerism and Community Service (Volunteer Florida), which administers Florida’s Ameri-Corps Programs; encourages volunteerism in disaster preparedness, response and recovery; and assists in developing Florida’s volunteer centers.

John Sutphin, President, Gated Community Security Directors Group John Sutphin is President of the Gated Community Security Directors Group, an organization that promotes improved security for gated communities. The group disseminates the latest infor-mation on administrative,

technical, and operational practices and provides training and networking opportunities for members throughout the U.S.

Richard Thompson, Regenesis.net Richard Thompson is the Founder of www.regenesis.net, which offers financial, maintenance, management, and administrative planning services to HOA developers, managers, boards, and real estate agents. He is also President of the Association of Professional Reserve Analysts.

Richard White, “Condo Living” Columnist A retired licensed community association manager and licensed property manager, Richard White is the author of a syndicated weekly column on association operations published continuously throughout Florida for over 31 years.

Marilynn Wills, Action Chair, League of Women Voters of Florida Marilynn Wills is the Chair of the Action Committee of the Florida Chapter of the League of Women Voters, a 90-year old nonpartisan, grass-roots political organization whose mission is to improve systems of govern-ment and impact public policies through citizen education and advocacy.

Joshua B. Young, Director, Center for Community Involvement, Miami Dade College Joshua Young is the Director of Miami Dade College’s Center for Community Involvement where he oversees all service-learning and America Reads activities, as well as numerous other campus-community partnership and civic engagement initiatives. MDC’s service-learning pro-gram now involves more than 270 faculty and 7,500 students annually. For more information, please visit www.communitiesofexcellence.net.